Dry-mix instant cappuccino beverages have been traditionally formulated using one of two available techniques to produce a head of foam upon reconstitution in water. The most practiced method is to formulate a complex spray-dried gasified creamer powder containing a protein source, typically non-fat milk (NFDM), a fat source, typically a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and a carrier, typically a carbohydrate. Protein-rich ingredients such as milk powders are used to trap gas bubbles injected in the creamer during spray-drying. The resulting low-density foaming creamer releases its encapsulated gas to produce a foam when reconstituted in water. A less practiced method is to dry blend chemical carbonation reagents with a non-gasified high-density creamer, usually formulated with the same ingredients used in the low-density creamers. The creamer traps the carbon dioxide gas released from the chemical carbonation reagents during reconstitution in water to produce foam. The effectiveness of foaming can be improved for either method by adding film-forming ingredients such as starch, gum, or additional protein to the finished dry-mix cappuccino composition.
Foaming creamers produced by gas injection are difficult to produce and test and those which contain milk proteins often develop processed or cooked flavors during their production. Use of chemical carbonation reagents, typically a combination of a food acidulant and an alkaline bicarbonate salt, to generate foam can impart a salty or bitter flavor to the cappuccino beverage, the volume of foam obtained is greatly dependent on beverage temperature, the amounts of these additives must be carefully controlled and products containing them typically must be packaged as single servings to ensure effective foam generation, acid-alkali neutralization, and beverage pH. Additionally, their use can increase cost and create an undesirable package ingredient line for some products, and products formulated with these reagents are difficult to rework if production errors occur.
There is a need for particulate dry-mix foaming creamers that can be made simply. There is also a need for such creamers which when formulated with milk protein, do not develop processed or cooked flavors during the production. There is still a further need to avoid the problems associated with the use of chemical carbonation reagents such as the considerable variability in the volume of foam generated over the wide range of beverage temperatures used to prepare cappuccino beverages, potential adverse effects on flavor quality, and the need for precise weight controls during manufacture.